


Dragon and the Child

by Cowardly_HorrorRaven (casinli)



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon!Loki, Fae!Tony, Fluff, Fox!Pepper, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-30 20:06:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5177984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casinli/pseuds/Cowardly_HorrorRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A dragon fell six days ago. Tony finds him.<br/>They both save each other in all the ways it counts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dragon and the Child

The dragon fell from the grace of his family. His claws reached out to grab the pieces of the destroyed bridge but they turned to clouds and broken colours of rainbows.

 

He painted the sky bloody red, bruise purple and ash grey.  
His wings were broken and torn, useless flaps of crystal blue skin. Clouds raced away from him as the song of the wind got quieter and quieter.  
He fell for days, alone, forgotten.  
There was silence, and he wondered if that was what drove fallen dragons mad.  
The wind sighed into his ear a last time a moment before he crashed to the ground.

 

Dragons were stuff of legends. Angry, fire-breathing vermin.  
Knights always got the honour to kill them. Tony wondered if this dragon would be killed too. Prior Joseph denied the existence of any legendary beings. He would never answer his questions.  
But Tony was not stupid, whatever others said. He saw the sunset six days before, and he heard the crash this morning.  
A dragon fell. Whispered the old woman at the edge of the market. She was a witch and gave Tony peaches and tales every time she saw him.  
Prior Joseph was late from his errands. Again.  
" Have you ever met a dragon, lady?" Whispered Tony. This was the busiest market before the Festivals and they had to be careful.  
"I had." She then gave him a peach. The lady always had fruit with her, regardless of the time of the year.  
" What it`s like?"  
"A dragon?" The lady nodded towards a bard. He was singing a well known fable about the famous battle between a red dragon and the Old knight. Tony shook his head.  
" No. I`m not interested in stories. I want to know the facts!" The witch smiled. Her expression seemed artificial, as if it was stitched on her face.  
" Of course, little scholar. Dragons are beautiful creatures. They can lure men and women into their lairs to tear them apart; limb from limb. But if you catch them before a fortnight passed, they are the kindest creatures you will ever meet." She paused to light her pipe. Tony stared and fidgeted a bit. She drug a deep breath from her pipe. As she exhaled in a cloud of smoke, she continued : " The elders say that dragons sing the most perfect song. But it can only be heard up in the clouds. Some even say that it keeps them peaceful and sane." She leaned back, looking far away, but not seeing. " And you must be very careful around them, boy."  
" I see."  
" Do you?" The lady`s eyes crinkled a bit. Her smile still seemed too wide, as if it was stolen off of a much younger face. " When you go to the forest today night, I would like you to take this with you."  
" But I won`t go to... there"  
" You think me a liar?"  
Tony blushed, blood rushing into his face.  
" I did not say that." The with just looked back at him, pointed, then Tony just sighed.

She reached into her pocket, and gave him a little, shiny black stone strung on a thin leather string. The stone had hard edges, like a flint`s. It looked a bit like a knife or an arrowhead.  
"This will protect you from any harm." Tony took the necklace and hid it under his tunic. The cold stone quickly warmed up to his skin.  
" I must get going, Prior Joseph finished, surely. Goodbye, lady." Tony waved. The lady nodded towards him, with a serious expression on her face.

 

His wings were shattered. He couldn`t cry in pain, his throat felt dry and hot. His skin prickled in the sun and the dust.  
Silence.  
Silence.

 

The curfew started when the sun touched the edge of the horizon. Tony wondered if the Brothers would live between mountains, would their day finish earlier? Would they keep working even though it`s dark?  
Probably wouldn`t.  
Tony counted the seconds until the moon rose, then he sneaked out. The monastery`s field were at the edge of the forest.  
Since Tony came to the monastery he met lots of beings living in the forest. Pepper, the skinchanger who could turn into a fox and the ghost of the Old Knight, who-was-once-a-Captain.  
Tony found the hole in the wall and climbed out to the wilderness.  
His mother once told him that the forest is his friend, if he threads on her back carefully.  
He wandered into the forest, humming the little song Pepper had taught him. The animals knew him by now, and they didn`t run to hide anymore. Tony reached a little creek. The water jarred against the mossy, slick stones. Tiny fish bathed in the quicksilver of the moonlight. They skipped under the stones as Tony jumped over the water.  
Pepper seemed missing on this beautiful night. Tony couldn`t blame her. Sometimes she had other, important business to attend.  
He strode to a little clearing, where he knew that flowers would bloom in this time of the year. He froze when he heard a pained moan.

 

Singing. There was a small, far away voice. Singing. The dragon moaned in pain. He still laid on the ground where he had fallen.  
He tried to be frightening.  
He heard a gasp.  
Felt tiny hands on his scales.  
He was so tired.

 

Tony was scared. The dragon was lying on its side, a wing crumpled under its body, and it growled at him. He jumped backwards and gasped, his hands flying to his mouth to muffle the noise. The dragon tensed, then relaxed. It looked... helpless. Tony saw the wing crumpled and possibly broken under its body. Tony stepped closer, reaching out to the dragon`s heaving body.  
The dragon was a little bit bigger than a horse. It had light blue scales, growing in neat rows, without any imperfections. Its snout was thin and long, but it looked beautiful and dangerous. 

Its scales were soft, smooth and a bit cold to the touch.  
Tony looked at its face, but its eyes were closed tightly. Tony wondered if the dragon`s eyes would be bloody red and menacing like in the stories or clear like the sky on a freezing winter morning.  
" Hey." Tony patted its snout. The dragon wrinkled its nose, but otherwise remained still. " Hey. Wake up." Tony shook its shoulders. The dragon grumbled, and tried to turn away.  
" Water." It croaked. Tony jumped back, surprised. Then he scrambled back the way he came from to get water from the little creek. Fireflies lighted his path and he reached the creek with little difficulty. He then took off his tunic, looping it up in his had to create a bag. Tony then filled his cloth-bag with water and ran back to the dragon.  
It hadn`t moved.  
Tony stood close, and held the dripping bag on the mouth of the dragon. Its mouth was wet with the water, but it quickly run out. Tony made the trek to the creek and back three times before the dragon opened its eyes to look at him.  
The dragon`s eyes were beautiful.

 

When he first saw the world below, it`s dark. He saw the child, coated in silver, wearing a crown made of fireflies.  
Somehow the child felt like home.

 

" Hi, I`m Tony. Who are you?"  
" I can`t remember."

 

Tony stayed with the dragon until dawn. He sung, remembering the old songs he learned. The dragon slept and drank. It looked sick and tired, its scales dull and dirty. The dragon was little bigger than a horse, silvery blue. It had beautiful green eyes. They looked like the sunshine when it plays in between the freshly grown leaves in May.  
The dragon didn`t spoke him other than to plead for water on that night.  
Tony returned for four days before he first met an adventurer looking for the fallen dragon. The man was old, with thinning white hair and worn clothes. His name was Eric and he came from North.  
The brothers welcomed the strange man, they let him sit with them during dinner.  
Tony watched the man. He ate in silence, staring blankly at the wall. Sometimes he turned to his side - always to the left - and opened his mouth. As if to speak. He seemed startled every time, that no one waited for him, that his side was empty.  
After prayer Sir Eric rose.  
"Thank you for your hospitality. If you excuse me now, I would like to retire to my chamber as I will be on my way tomorrow."  
As Tony finished his chores that night, he couldn`t stop thinking about Sir Eric. He did not look like a well travelled man. He was soft and old. He also seemed to be lost. Or grieving.  
Tony wondered if he looked like that when his parents left.

 

There was a man on the clearing. The dragon dragged himself onto his four legs. The man looked at him, as if he ate his heart. But the dragon never seen this man.  
" You are Loki, aren`t you? Brother of Thor."  
So that was his name. He had wondered. The dragon - Loki he said to himself, you are Loki - nodded.  
" Yes. I think."  
" Do you know where your brother is?" Loki felt his mangled heart twist.  
" He is not my brother. He never was." Loki said brimming with anger. " He betrayed me. Pushed me. Let. Me. Fall." His anger shimmered under the surface.  
" He took my daughter Jane away." Loki suddenly felt pity for this old man. Thor wasn`t known for his kindness or his compassion. " Do you know how to find her?" Loki felt conflicted. On one hand, Thor was his nestmate for thousands of years. But on the other he was needlessly cruel, and Loki wanted revenge for the hurt he endured.  
" I do not know where he is now, but I can help you find where he will be. Thor loves thunder. He will fly to the highest point of this kingdom sooner or later. Do not seek him in caves. His place is in the sun."  
" Thank you." The old man`s voice was thick as is something was choking him. Loki dropped back to his belly. " I... Thank you." The man nodded, and reached for his purse, and giving a handful of gold coins to Loki before turning his back and walking away the way he came from.  
The five curious little coins glinted in the grass. The silence of the forest got smaller, as the gold sung to the dozing dragon.

 

" I`m Loki."  
" That is a weird name."  
" Not much weirder than Tony."

 

Prior Joseph was relieved when Sir Erik left. Tony heard him cursing about the extra cost if Sir Erik would stay. Tony was given to Brother Banner who took care of the gardens.  
One misty morning, when Tony and the brother were already outside weeding and preparing the garden for sowing, Tony saw the old lady from the marketplace hobbling into the forest. Tony greeted her, but she didn`t wave back.  
Tony hasn`t seen the witch for two weeks. By the fifteenth night he felt his steps weakening, his eyes burning, as if sand was thrown into them. He went to bed early, and didn`t see the dragon.

 

Loki felt restless. The boy was missing. He felt the forest yearn for him, trees holding their breaths and birds holding their silence. 

 

On the sixteenth morning he couldn`t stand up. The brothers moved him to a little cabin, far away from them. They were afraid that Tony`s sickness would spread onto them.  
Brother Banner brought him broth to eat, but Tony couldn`t swallow. Tony was hungry, but when the Brother forced a little broth into his throat, his stomach cramped, and he threw up. Nothing came, just yellow sludge which stuck to his teeth and mouth.  
That night, Tony saw fireflies dancing. They drew a blue spiral onto the ceiling of the cabin. Tony watched them, feeling a little lighter, a little better.  
When the first rays of sunshine reached the cabin dead fireflies covered the floor. The brother swept the floor, feeling his heart up in his throat. Tony looked better, but his skin was still shining with the sick sheen of sweat. A dark suspicion nagged at the back of brother Banner`s mind. What if the child had sucked the life out of the little bugs? Was this child a witch?

 

The old hag had been bothering Loki for hours.  
" You have to tell me what did you do to him! He was not supposed to come to the forest this often! He was supposed to have a normal childhood!"  
" Why would he not have a normal childhood, woman?" Loki loomed over the witch, casting a great shadow over her. She stared Loki in the eye.  
" Do not tell me, you didn`t feel the power in him. Even the brothers know he is not a normal human child."  
" Then what is he?"  
" A fey! He is a fey child." Loki reared back. The child... Tony was a fey? He didn`t act like one.  
" Weren`t they supposed to be royalty?" Loki asked. No-one knew much about fey people, they were few and far between.  
" Yes, they are. Tony is the direct descendant of the last Queen of this forest. He is essentially our prince. I told the forest that he is not yet fit for a king."  
" And who decides if he is fit for a king? You? Or some other mysterious power?" Loki asked. His heart was heavy and bitter. Why does this old woman try to push Tony out of his birthright? " What happened to his parents? Why does Tony lives with the Brothers?"  
" His parents are dead. They have been murdered, and to be honest, he is better off this way. Now tell me, what did you do to him." Loki lied onto his front legs, feeling very self-satisfied. He had a great advantage over this woman.  
"I gave him a friend."

 

When Prior Joseph saw the town`s witch marching into his monastery, he got angry.  
" You do not get to march into my place, Natasha! The boy is sick."  
" I know." Natasha clenched her fists. " I... haven`t seen him in a while." Prior Joseph shook his head in disappointment.  
" Now go, see him then." Natasha nodded. " Also, get rid of this stupid disguise. It gives me shivers." Natasha smiled, and the wrinkles, spots, and age melted off of her face. She straightened her striding steps. She looked much younger at the end, and she gave a big smile to Prior Joseph.

 

Tony sat up in his bed, when a young woman entered his little cabin.  
" Just lie back, Tony. It`s all right."  
" Who are you? Why are you here?" Tony`s voice was nasal and thick. Natasha just smiled, and put a peach into Tony`s lap. His eyes widened in surprise and recognition. " You`re the witch from the market!"  
" Yes."  
" But, what happened to you? You were old." Tony played with the round fruit.  
" I was never truly old. I`m a witch, and not particularly prone to ageing." Tony frowned.  
" So, why did you lie to me?"  
" I did not lie to you. I showed myself older in order to protect myself. A lot of people know this face." She said seriously.  
" Will I see you at the next market?"  
" No, Tony. You don`t need me anymore." Tony`s heart shattered into tiny pieces. He knew that the witch never really liked him. He was nothing but an annoying brat to her who always demanded something more, something else.  
The witch rubbed her thumb across Tony`s cheek.  
" Cheer up" She said " You have other friends now. And now, I owe you the truth."  
" What truth?" Tony chirped in.  
" Your truth. Now hush, and listen. You did not know your parents. They both been killed when you were very young. The murderer were your father`s old friend, a man from the ocean. Your father were the second prince of the ocean; while your mother were the Queen of the forest. They met, they fell in love, they married. Then you were born. Tony, you are the crown price of the forest." Tony was stunned. He always fantasised that his parents were alive, or that he was a lost prince. He, of course, knew that these daydreams were nonsense, and a waste of time. That he truly was something else just than another orphan was a shock.  
" But- but, does that mean, that I`m not human?"  
" You`re a fey, Tony. I know, this is a shock, but please, listen. You have a lot to learn. We, Prior Joseph and the council decided to keep you in the dark. Your friendship with the dragon raised a lot of concern. They decided to tell you everything. I think you need to find someone to teach you magic as soon as possible. Your dragon can explain to you a lot of things. He knows far more than he shows."  
" Why did you tell me all this?" Natasha smiled. Tony was suddenly reminded of a snake.  
" Prior Joseph think that it is time. Now eat your peach, and I can answer a few more questions."

 

Then, by just a snap, fruity smelling wind blew across the forest, taking away the feeling of rot and decay. Loki felt himself relax and he stretched, his muscles rolling fluidly under his scales. The five little gold coins rusted and deformed under his weight. They no longer sung, but Loki knew that they no longer had to.  
The threat of madness lifted from his shoulder when the next night his Prince-Boy came for him. He seemed very distraught.  
" What is the matter, Tony?" The boy didn`t answer, just threw his hands over Loki`s neck, and he started to cry into Loki`s shoulder. Loki put a comforting claw across the child`s trembling back, and he knew that the hag had told him the truth. Tony`s sobbing did not cease until the wee hours of the morning, when he slumped into Loki, and fell asleep.

 

" You know magic, right?" Tony asked on one lazy afternoon.  
" Indeed." Tony looked up, staring into Loki`s eyes unblinking.  
" Can you... Teach me?" Tony sounded shy, regardless of the bravery his eyes shone with. Loki considered his opinions. Tony was still young; he could be a formidable sorcerer with Loki`s tutoring.  
" Let me think about it. Magic is very dangerous in unworthy hands." Tony`s shoulders drooped in disappointment. Loki rolled his eyes at the sight of the kid`s moping. He carefully turned Tony`s shoulder, so the child faced him. Loki tipped Tony`s chin up. The child`s eyes were filled with unshed tears. Loki shook his head.  
" I did not say no. I said I will think about it."  
" Everyone says this, when they don`t want to say no. To protect my feelings. If you don`t want to teach me, say so!"  
" I said, I will think about it! If I teach you and you use your power for wrong then it will be my responsibility to stop you."  
" You mean kill me?" Tony stuck his chin up and stared Loki in the eyes, unblinking.  
" No. I mean strip you from your magic, then banish you to the most unforgiving place, where you will slowly wither away and die. "  
" Oh. "  
" Oh, indeed. Now go home. It`s almost dawn." Tony slowly, with great reluctance walked back to the monastery.  
Loki spent his day debating with himself. The risk of someone finding out that Tony is magic was great. On the other hand, if Tony used his talents to the fullest, Loki might be able to... Here, his thoughts stopped. Able to do what? Go home? He didn`t have a home anymore. Able to have his revenge? He didn`t want to risk the boy.  
Tony was important. Loki didn`t know why, or how but the boy, the infuriating little fay, became important. And to make him more important; Loki will teach him.

Tony was fuming the next two days. Brother Banner was afraid for the state of his garden; Tony weeded like an angry thunderstorm. Nothing was left in his path just upturned roots and fearful herbs.  
"Tony!" Said Brother Banner when he saw an unsalvageable little herb bush. " This was thyme! It was supposed to stay in the ground."  
" Whatever. I hate thyme anyway." Bother Banner frowned.  
" Tony, what`s wrong? You`ve been acting weird lately. Is everything all right?" Tony just shook his head.  
" It`s nothing."

" Is it that old woman from the market? You know, you just have to tell me. You can trust me."  
" I know Brother, but there is nothing to tell." Tony looked away, and saw the havoc he wrecked on the garden, and he felt oddly guilty. Stupid Loki, and his stupid indecision. " Do you... Do you want me to help fix the garden?"  
" No." Brother Banner shook his head. " I think I would rather like if you would stay inside. Maybe go to the kitchen and see if they want any help."  
They did not need Tony in the kitchens, not after the experiment involving the flour.

 

Loki was ready with the first lesson when Tony came to him. He learnt easily, quickly, and Loki caught himself enjoying teaching.  
The boy was a wonder. His hands danced around the spells he weaved like a butterfly, but when the work was done the spells were more sturdy and strong than a mountain.  
Loki felt the forest reacting to the spells Tony crafted. The place seemed greener, more and more alive as the days passed. The weather turned more sunny, birds sung more, bees made more honey, the creatures of the forest became more friendly.

Tony learned at an incredible pace, his focus never wavering, understanding and doing exactly as Loki told him.  
Loki was expecting the day when Tony started his own spellcrafting, acting on his own, rather than by Loki`s explanations.

 

Tony was leaning his back to Loki`s side, right under his ruined wing. His wings never really healed from the damage his nestmate`s claws wrecked upon them, and Loki felt their uselessness every passing day.  
Tony was running the flat of his palm along Loki`s side, feeling the sun-kissed scales under his fingertips. Loki preened under the luxurious attention, and he relaxed. He stretched his wings, then folded up them again, because they started to get pins and needles.  
Tony watched them; then he stood up, and pressed his hand to the ugly scars.  
" Loki? Why are your wings... torn?" Loki closed his eyes, and sighed.  
" My nestmate, or you could call him my brother, tore them into ribbons ."  
"But, why?"  
" He banished me. He believes that I`m a traitor and should suffer a millennia in madness and fire before I`m allowed to die."  
" You don`t really like him, do you?"  
" Yes. I hate to love him, but love to hate him. He is my nestmate after all. I`ve spent decades playing with him, learning with him, fighting with him. And yet. There we are. Last I`ve hear he had been banished too; he kidnapped Sir Eric`s daughter. I would sell my soul to see him- and not even necessarily kill him- again, just one last time, to ask: Why did he passed judgement only listening to his friends? He doesn`t even asked me." Loki hanged his head, bitterly, lost in the angry ocean of his thoughts.  
Tony was silent for a while.  
" If you can fly, can you visit him?"  
" I think I could. But, I can`t fly." Tony`s eyes shone with happiness.  
" Don`t bet on that. I think, I have an idea."

As Tony spoke Loki was suddenly struck by a picture: Tony, a bit older, sitting on the forest`s throne, arguing with his counsellors, his eyes still shining with the same light as now. And Loki knew that Tony will be the best king in the history of Fey ruling.  
And Loki will be by his side, because Tony will need a trusted friend, who can help him bear the weight of ruling.  
Loki promised- only to himself, only in silence -that no-one will harm this boy, not even himself.

 

Tony bought needle and thread. He began to sew together Loki`s battered wings. He anchored the flaps of skin with magic, and Loki felt the sinew and muscle heal. In the wispy silver of moonlight, the thread of magic glinted in ivy green.  
Tony worked for six nights on Loki`s wings. His hands shook at the end of the sixth night, his eyes were ringed with black. Tony rose unsteadily to his feet, and admired his handiwork.  
The anchors were connected to Loki`s magic core, Loki himself kept the handy little spells up. The strong thread held the healing spells in place, and they worked a miracle; the thin, and extremely delicate skin was healing almost perfectly. Loki knew that there will always be scars, white and thin, but scars nonetheless. Loki`s green magic highlighted the zigzagging pattern of the tears, but first time in many months Loki saw not only the evil of his nestmate, but the good and talent of Tony`s and his magic doing unbelievable things.  
He was the first dragon who ever got his flight back on the ground.  
And he never really wanted to return home, anyway.

Loki streched his wings to their fullest in months. He saw Tony look at him in awe, and Loki smiled. His grin nearly split his snout in half. He was finally free!  
The Prince-Boy mirrored his smile. Loki felt incredible, giddy and happy.  
" Do you want to fly?" Tony eagerly nodded.  
"Of course!" He said, excited, then he clambered up onto Loki`s back. Loki felt the slight weight of the boy settle between his wings. Then he jumped with his powerful hind legs, and the wind caught him.  
Loki fought the winds to rise up and away. He turned in wide circles, a slowly widening and rising spiral. Loki felt his unused muscled burning as he reached the sky. Tony whooped in excitement, his knees gripping Loki`s back strong.  
Tony was cold, but the new perspective of sight made him forget his exhaustion of the six long nights, and the chill which crept into his fingertips. Loki moved under him, great, powerful beats of his wings. Tony`s heartbeat drummed in his ears, almost drowning out the whooshing of the frigid, night air.  
His blood rushed, twisted and ran alongside of Loki`s, and he understood Loki a little bit better. He understood how much of a big deal was losing flight.  
They climbed higher, and higher. The world became smaller and darker, the softening edges blending with the stretching horizon. The air was crystal clear, cold and threatening to turn thin. The full fat moon smiled upon the dragon and the boy riding on his back. A few fluffy cloud wandered around like lost sheep of a giant.  
They soared the sky. Loki dipped his wings into clouds, stirring the white vapour into spirals. Loki saw high mountains stretching. The town where Tony lived looked little more than a smudge on the green fields. 

" Loki, look! The Monastery!" Tony pointed. " And the market! I can see the whole town from here!" Loki laughed at Tony`s awe.  
" Yes, you can see it. If we could go higher, you could see the ocean from there."  
" Why can`t we?"  
"The air up there is not fit for you the breathe. You would drown."  
" Did you see the ocean?" Tony asked after a brief silence.  
" I did."  
" What it`s like?"  
" Mostly grey. Sometimes it does look blue. There are shores that are white, black, or even pink. They are always beautiful."  
For Tony the world now seemed smaller than ever before. 

 

Loki soon turned back to the ground. His wings were exhausted, his legs were shaking. Tony slipped limply from his back, then stumbled, and caught himself on Loki`s back. Loki walked, slowly, alongside of Tony.  
" That was awesome!" Tony said, but his words were slurred. Loki smiled a little, laughing at Tony a little bit inside. He looked adorable like that, his eyes almost shut, completely trusting Loki to keep him safe.  
Loki led Tony back to his den, a little nest he had made. He used his magic to twist a few trees around, and to encourage them to grow branches upwards, together. The trees were all full of life, their leaves full and dark emerald green. His den was soft with fallen leaves, adorned with trinkets Tony bought, and the five little gold coins.  
Loki curled up inside, and he almost filled up the whole space. Tony laid his head down on Loki`s white belly, and almost instantly, he fell asleep. His hair was mussed, and his face tired.  
Loki watched Tony sleep for a long time. He adored this little creature who was brave, or fool, enough that he approached an almost dead dragon, nursed him back to health, and gave back his flight.  
All this, without expecting anything back, or for payment.  
Loki supposed that he must have been really desperate for a friend.  
A ghost shone in the middle of a little clearing. It was tall, muscled and looked like a hero. He also was sad, guilt ridden, and grieving. His eyes stared to the distance, and he whispered a few words over and over:  
" I couldn`t save him."  
He then looked straight into Loki`s eyes and said: " I trust you with Tony." 

Loki couldn`t do much more, just nod. The ghost smiled, and dissipated like the fog during midday.

Tony woke to the persistent sound of the bushes rustling. He blinked towards the noise, untangling himself from the dozing dragon. He caught a flash of fiery- orange red fur, and he relaxed.  
" Pepper?" He called, quiet, to not to disturb Loki.  
" Tony!" Hissed Pepper. Tony calmed, knowing that the fox was his friend. " What are you doing here?" Pepper caught Tony`s sleeve, and started dragging him away. " He is dangerous! You have to come back! Now! " Tony`s skin twisted, as he yanked his hand out of Pepper`s grip.  
"No! Pepper, stop!" Tony stumbled to halt. Pepper turned to face him, her eyes tight with fury.  
"Why do you want to stay with that thing? Tony, use your head! He is here for a reason. Have you asked why he fell? Do you not think that fallen dragons are punished for a reason? Do you really not even suspect that he is up to something? Tony, please, just listen!"  
" Pepper, you do not know him as well as I! He is kind. He looks after me, and teaches me. He takes care of me more than the brothers, even if they were supposed to be my family. Pepper, he is my best friend." Tony said in complete seriousness. " If he goes, then I do too."  
Pepper just shook her head in denial.  
"You cannot leave us. Tony he - You... Please, don`t leave us. But he has to go. Dragons are not meant to live down here. He will go away, whether because of the council`s decision or by himself."  
"Then I will go with him." Pepper opened her mouth, as if to speak, but Tony continued on "You or this council cannot make me stay if I don`t want to." Tony took a few steps away from the fox. Pepper stood, frozen in the shade of the trees.  
Tony backed out to the sunlight, towards Loki.  
" You should go now. I`m not angry Pepper, but you can`t make decisions for me."  
"Then, I have to say goodbye Tony. I`m not sure when can I see you again." Pepper looked at Tony, willing herself to crave the moment into her memory. Tony tangled his fingers in his tunic, then stepped forward, hugging Pepper.  
" Are you angry at me, Pep?"  
"No, Tony, I`m worried about you. But I cannot talk you out of this. I know you. But I think that you really should go back to the brothers now. They must be getting suspicious. Bye, Tony." Pepper disentangled from the embrace, then quickly shrunk back to the underbush.  
Tony turned to face a smug Loki watching him from the nest.  
" Cut it out. Pepper`s right, I have to go back, before the brothers start to look for me. See you soon." Tony smoothed his hand across Loki`s snout, then jogged back to the town.

 

They carried on visiting each other at night for months. Autumn came, painting the trees with wild, fiery colours. The air was frigid every morning, and a fine layer of frost sat on the grass dressing it in a sparking wedding dress.  
Loki got tired more and more easily, and prepared to move to the mountain range.

Tony ambled between the evergreen patches of herbs in Brother Bruce`s garden. Loki and him talked about moving away, where Loki could make a normal nest. Tony knew that if he follows Loki then he must leave the monastery. Tony was hesitant to leave them, and he wanted Brother Banner`s advice.  
Tony knocked on the Brother`s door. Brother Banner opened the plank door with a worried expression.  
" Tony? What`s wrong?" Tony slipped inside the small cabin. Dried herbs and medicinal plants hung on metal hooks from the ceiling, and a fire blazed merrily in the fireplace. The air smelled like dust and green plants with the ever lingering aroma of sweat and sickness.  
" Brother Banner, do you remember when the people thought they saw a... a ahm..."  
" A dragon? " Brother Banner supplied helpfully. Tony fidgeted where he stood, while the brother turned back to his medicines.  
" Yes, a dragon, and I... I sort of, maybe, made him my friend?" the brother made a distracted, agreeing noise. Tony sighed. " And, well, he wants to move somewhere permanent, and I think I might, I don`t know, move with him?" Brother Banner slumped his shoulders forward, and rubbed his eyes tiredly.  
"Tony, I don`t know what to say to you. You always go against authority, never listen to anyone." He turned, to face Tony, and put his hands on Tony`s shoulders. " Do whatever feels right, what you think is the best for you. You know that the forest will take care of you, and you can always come back to us if you need help." The brother clumsily drew Tony in for a hug. Tony clung to his back, and nodded. They stood together a few minutes before Tony spoke.  
" I want to thank you for looking out for me. And sorry for your garden."  
" It`s all right, Tony, the garden is no concern of yours. And I will always look out for you, even when you will grow up. I love you as a brother would."

 

The pink, blue and orange sky was mellow against Tony`s skin, soft like silk, as he hummed a little tune in the quiet of the evening.  
The forest danced in their wake, slow, graceful arches of the trees below them.  
A quick, sly little fox dashed from a bush to another.  
And the dragon soared in the high sky.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> Thanks for reading!  
> 


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